JOIN EARTH HOUR, SWITCH OFF THE LIGHTS

Following the last year’s Earth Hour in Australia, where 2.2 million Sydneysiders, including cities of Atlanta, San Francisco, Bangkok, Ottawa, Dublin, Vancouver, Montreal, and Phoenix, powered-down for an hour, as many as 30 million people are tipped to switch off lights and televisions around the world on Earth Hour this March 29, 2008. they joined Copenhagen and Aarhus, Manila, Fiji’s capital Suva, Chicago, Tel Aviv, Christchurch, Toronto, Odense and Aalborg, as well as major Australian cities including Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, and the national capital of Canberra.

Earth Hour invites residents in participating cities to switch off lights and non-essential electrical appliances for one hour at 8 p.m. to raise awareness of carbon emissions that cause global warming. “Climate change is truly a global issue and people around the world are demanding action” said Andy Ridley, Earth Hour’s executive director.

During last year’s Sydney event, restaurants used candles and other iconic building plunged into darkness including Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the 553-meter CN Tower in Toronto. Essential lights, however, were kept on for safety reason. The event, according to Power provider energy Australia, cut electricity consumption by 10.2 percent.